The global internet has become a standard telecommunication system in modern life. The internet provides communication means such as email, voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephony, and video conferencing. The internet acts as a mass media communication network by offering a wide variety of media such as news websites, entertainment websites, downloadable music and video. The internet also offers services such as investment services, banking, computer services, and internet gaming. The internet even provides a convenient means of obtaining physical products through the use of online merchants and auction sites.
Most homes and businesses in the United States of America now have some form of internet access. Initially, most homes relied upon relatively slow dial-up analog modem lines to access the internet. But more recently, higher speed internet access provided by digital subscriber lines (DSL), cable modems, or wireless network connections is becoming increasingly common. These higher speed forms of internet access allow homes and businesses to access rich multi-media web sites that include images, audio, and video.
As users are increasingly accessing greater amounts of information by downloading data-intensive items such as video, internet service providers (ISPs) are being pressured to upgrade their data networks in order to handle these rapidly growing data demands. The high costs of upgrading data networks can greatly affect the profit margins of internet service providers. This is especially true when the internet service providers are being pressured to increase data network capacity without receiving greater revenues in the form of internet access subscriber fees. Thus, internet service providers have a great incentive to optimize the usage of their existing data network investment such that internet subscribers continue to receive high-quality service and data network upgrades can be deferred.